Thursday, September 25, 2014

Going from me being able to work full time & actually even both of us working full time before we moved.. To being VERY poor graduate school students with baby bills..

Has been actually fun in so many ways but a little bit stressful financially..

We have had to budget down to the dollar.

But with that being said I have had a greater appreciation for what we do have and for coupons and sales and especially for things that are free!

So one night when Blake and I were feeling a little bit down about what we could afford to do we sat down and just looked together through different websites and whatever we could find and made a list of different free events going on in San Antonio that looked fun..

& I was SO excited when we stumbled across this..

The San Antonio Botanical Gardens were hosting a movie night right in the middle of the gardens..
Normally it cost money to just come and look around in them, but this night after they were closed for normal hours.. everything was free.

So of course I begged Blake to let us go early so we could explore the gardens before the movie..

& Like I imagined, they were just beautiful..

And it was really nice being able to walk around them while there actually weren't very many people there.

And not having very many other people to witness our actions..we got to do our favorite thing and act like little kids and climb over all of the fun things they had in the gardens.

[A lot of the times I feel like we have a big joke going on and are just pretending to be adults.. but people keep going along with it so why make them feel bad and tell them they are wrong..]

Luckily, they must have known we were coming because they had chairs ready for us that fit perfectly...

Besides the fact that I could barely get back out {it must have been gravity the comfort pulling me back in}

I think these will probably our next dining room chair purchase.

They even had a really awesome Lego exhibit around the park..

[Some people's talents absolutely amaze me.. me and my siblings were pretty proud when we built a house for our lego men..]

But after this awesome creation we actually ran into someone I had met at a girls night a couple of weeks ago and her husband {who also is going to Optometry school} so of course they were awesome and we got talking and ended up walking around the gardens getting to know them..

& Since I have limited absolutely no multi-tasking abilities that was about where my picture taking of the exhibits ended.

But I have to say that I have had so much fun exploring this city and getting to know the sweet people here..
It's amazing what there is when you are willing to explore and find it..
& I am grateful for someone who is willing to humor me and loves to find new places and have fun with me.
What a blessed girl I am.

And then after the Sunset we got to lay down and watch a movie in the middle of all of the beautiful flowers and plant life with our new friends..
It was a dream summer night out for me, just what the doctor ordered.

I think if we can survive the near death experiences insane amounts of traffic and roads and interstates in this city..
[Justtt kidddding mom.. I don't have near death experiences.. don't start worrying..]
I really could get used to it here.
I am loving all that living in a city has to offer to and explore now that it has cooled down a couple of degrees.

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

[& a Whooping Cough shot.. which my arm is still screaming to remind me of.. oh shots.. what a necessary evil..]

And things went alrighttt...

They did the gestational diabetes testing.. and a shot..

[I prolonged the flu shot another week.. because I am a baby.. but when you get older people seem to occasionally listen to your whining, it's wonderful]

And baby girl was moving lots and her heart was beating perfectly healthy..

But there was good news.. and slightly NOT as good of news.

The good news is we get to see her in a couple of weeks because we are going to have another ultrasound.

Yay.. those are the only Dr. visits I find very fun.

The not as good of news is we are having the extra ultra sound because I am measuring small..

so I think they just want to make sure that everything's healthy.

& As a first time mom.. and pregnancy that's gotten this far.. I worry about everything but don't really know what else to do.

She is moving quite a bit.. and I am eat when I am hungry.. so I guess we will just pray and let you know in a couple of weeks how things are.

Also according to the nurse I have still only gained 6 lbs..

{BUT they also didn't let me eat for a few hours before my diabetes test..and when they weighed me..

so who's fault is that I ask you}

I took these pictures too..{not because I look way different than last week.. or because these are very flattering} but because what fun is a blog without pictures, and I wanted to show you thats it's the weirdest thing if I lean back or am laying down on my back you can hardly tell I'm pregnant.

[not that I do that.. because they tell you not to haha... & I really don't very offften but she seems to move a lot when I'm on my back so sometimes when Blake wants to feel her she leaves me no choice..;)]

Bodies are weird. I have just never paid so much attention to mine.

Things are pretty similar this week to last..

Except for I have been EXHAUSTED. That's probably my least favorite thing.. since I am not a huge sleeper and I normally have quite a bit of energy, this is kind of killing me.

It's also quite an adventure finding things to wear everyday. I still haven't bought any maternity clothes..but I do have to be a little more creative with my clothes since it's hot here and my belly is making my dresses too short.

I can also still wear jeans but it kind of pushes her up into my ribs and isn't as comfortable as before.

I am having an internal struggle since we are pretty tight on money and I would only wear these clothes for a few months.. the fact that I haven't grown in 10 years has hindered my ability to reach top shelves but spoiled me in the clothes area.

[only TWELVE more weeks! Hallelujah.]

So I think that's about all pregnancy today.. but let me just reiterate one final warning..

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

So when I first decided to start a blog it was mostly because I thought a couple of other blogs were really fun to read & I thought it would be a good way to record life/remember experiences.

&& One of those blogs writes what she calls Tuesday Tidbits every Tuesday to keep track of what her kids are doing and how they are growing.. SO I thought that might be fun with my last tri-mester just to keep track of my pregnancy and what's changing since I haven't been very good about journaling or blogging about it and it would be fun to remember.

{at least for me & hopefully for others to be a part of this exciting experience in my life}

SO this week I am 27 Weeks along..

[[6 months exactly & 3 more until full term]]

01.I have gained about 7-8 lbs (from my regular weight) to this point.. but I did lose 6 lbs from my normal weight right when I first got pregnant because I was so sick..

So although I'm not quite where they tell me I'm supposed to be my Dr.'s seem to accept this.

{I'm not really sure what their other option would be.. stuff with me with donuts?}

This is me on my way out the door to my prenatal yoga class.. I'm the second smallest person in the class next to the girl that is 14 weeks along. But I have definitely been getting bigger..

Last night Blake looked at me and was like, "Hailey you look like you're going to pop." & I was excited and like "REALLY?!" Then he laughs and says, "Well.. No. But you definitely look pregnant."

& I will say I am more tired and hungry than normal.. but if I squeeze in a 30 minute nap during the day I feel like I still can get quite a bit done and not have it bother me too much.

03. I can't run as much as I could before I was pregnant {probably because I'm already that weird mom that is overly paranoid about hurting baby girl} but I still try to run until I'm uncomfortable and do lots of elliptical and yoga.

04. Um she kicks harder and harder every day.. when it's not on my bladder I absolutely love it. It's nice to know she is doing okay..

05. I am normally way anti eating right before bed.. but lately, especially if I have gone out and am getting back late, if I don't eat a bowl of cereal when I get home I think I'm going to die..

& 3/4 times if it's at night it's probbbably Captain Crunch {which I never eat in the morning}..

really healthy right.

06. And finally..it is impossible for me to wear my hair down from a bun around here.. I can't decide if it's because I am hot because I am pregnant or if it's that I am hot because Texas is absolutely ridiculously hot.

[or possibly because our a/c is broken for the 3rd time in the last month and a half.. because that is awe.some. too]

But I guess we will probably never know until next summer.

& I hope this picture doesn't offend everyone in the world..

If it does just pretend my belly is part of the wall since it blends in pretty well with it's lack of sun interaction.

I actually don't really like bare belly maternity pictures.. BUT I took this picture for me and then was thinking I don't know if I don't post it on here if I would be able to find it again.

& Since I can't put this in my journal I wanted to save it for me.. My favorite thing is to look at the difference between my ribs and my belly I feel like that is what makes me feel the most huge pregnant.

My next Dr.'s appointment is next Tuesday so we will see if anythings different.

But I am {probably deliriously} hoping that she will come in 10 1/2 weeks.. 1 1/2 weeks early when Blake gets out of school.. I want her to come as far from Christmas as possible.

So mark your calendars.. December 6th.

:)

Maybe we can pray/I can run her out into the world..

Thanks for everyone who has been so kind and encouraging about this experience.. I don't know what we would do without our sweet family and friends.

Monday, September 15, 2014

So although first I have to say it is so different living in a city.. driving can be absolutely crazy..

[The East Coast was busy but New York City has subways and it was just a different experience]

But it also can be SO fun.. San Antonio feels so alive to me.

I have been SO proud of this sweet man of mine.. Optometry school is hard and busy.. and he has been working so hard at doing well in school and being a good husband.

It's definitely been an adjustment for us, there is a lot less together time than I wish there was with my class being at night and how hard Blake's 22 credits are.

But the time we do get to spend together he definitely makes count..

Saturday night [after Blake spent the day at a gold tournament and we got to go to an awesome conference for church] we decided we needed a night out together to do something fun, and without complaining about being tired he sweetly took me out to the San Antonio International Music Festival..

These were our excited faces.. {If you can't tell..} when we walked around the corner and heard the drums and accordions and guitars and singing and saw all of the excitement and lights..

The festival was amazing.. most everything was in different languages.. but just to feel how alive everyone was and how happy {especially at like 10 o'clock at night} we were lovvving it. These are our kind of people.

& Even though nobody on EARTH knew what they were saying..

[& by nobody.. I mean me.. probably someone on earth might have known]

It was impossible to not to want to dance and sway along with the music.

{Just another side note.. can you tell I am 6 months pregnant in this picture.. I am vowing for the next 3 months to wear nothing but tight clothes so that maybe someday everyone won't think I am dreaming this little baby up]

And then by some miracle I think we got the best seat in the house..

Sitting on this beautiful fountain centered right with the stage.. I was in heaven.

I wish I could pause time and keep this handsome man with me always.

We stayed and laughed and just enjoyed being together until the bands refused to play any more music and everyone started clearing out..

It was such a fun atmosphere, it almost all felt like a dream.

I am so grateful for our opportunity to be in San Antonio and for the nights that we get to take a off from hard work and just enjoy life.

I feel like since money has been really tight around here we have been a little discouraged about going out as much as we would like to.. but I can't believe when you really look around how many things there are to do that are actually free.

{Except for parking.. nobody in San Antonio has ever heard the words Free Parking}

You have to look around kind of hard and plan for it.. but I am grateful for what this experience is teaching me about appreciating what we have and making it go a long way. As well as appreciating the experiences and the people we are blessed to be around.

What an adventure life is.

"We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm, and adventure.

There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open."

[I have to be honest and say that every dr.'s appointment I secretly hope for this.. so I had to restrain myself from hugging my doctor and screaming for joy as I jumped up and down]

That more importantly means that my due date is now December 16th vs.. December 22nd.

Please Baby Girl come before Christmas!!

[Although I will also say that my final is December 17th.. so things could get pretty crazy come December.. but I'm still thrilled.. the further from Christmas the better]

This was me on Tuesday so.. 25 weeks.

I love this picture.. but its a little deceptive and probably makes me look a little bigger than I actually am..

(but that's why I think I like it.. you're finally starting to be able to tell I am pregnant hallelujah!).

So here is my little update on my pregnancy..

Being pregnant is so awesome.. and so strange at the same time.

There are many things that make me feel like my body is shutting down on me..

Like these nose bleeds I get like FOUR times a day.. and I dont just mean I blow my nose and there is blood.. I mean full on out of control running down my face soaking the tissue nose bleeds. Lovely.

Second of all.. who in the world knew what a Charly Horse was?

I wake up in the middle of the night screaming because of the horrible things happening in my calves.. & Then it hurts for days after.

Eat Bananas They Say. Drink Water They Say.

I have been eating bananas daily and if you sawww how much I drink and how many bathroom breaks I have to take you would be embarassed for me. Yet, I had a horrible Charly Horse episode last night... explain that one.

I give up.. go ahead and self explode body.

But there are things that are really awesome.. I love love love feeling her move..

[she does have a name that we refer to her by.. but we haven't really talked about announcing it to the world yet so I will save that for another day just in case]

& She sure is a mover, sometimes I can't even believe it.

[I think we are both a little worried about when she is out of the womb]

The other day I was laying on my side going to sleep & probably partly leaning on my stomach and obviously she must have felt squished because she started thumping ((like a rabbit)) over & over again really fast & hard.

Oh Blake and I thought it was so funny I couldn't bring myself to roll over and let her be more comfortable until we had both laughed and got to feel her.. poor thing.

I think since I was pretty sick at the begining of my pregnancy and lost 6 lbs I haven't gained as much weight as everyone seems to be explaining that I need to have.

Up until a couple days ago if I weighed myself first thing in the morning I had only gained about 2 lbs over my normal weight.

Butttt at my doctors appointment

{I did eat quite a bit before going because I was scared of this topic} I was about 6 lbs over my normal weight.. hallelujah.

& Now I am under strict instruction that I need to start gaining at least a pound a week to make it to a healthy weight.. so we will see if I start growing fast during these last few months!

I feel like if you are eating/excersising/living healthy people probably should not tell you that anything is wrong, because I have found that especially as a first time mom you think the sky is falling and the world is ending and worry about EVERYTHING,

so weight has become one of "those" subjects in our house.

My first day of classes I sat next to a girl and as we were getting to know each other I mentioned that I was pregnant and was due in December.

She looked at me like I threw water in her face or just stole her cat..

& Exclaimed "December... like THIS December?! You don't even look pregnant!"

I so badly wanted to say.. nope.. next December.. I have really long pregnancies.

{But I didddn't}

& To be fair.. depending on what I am wearing and if you have met me before now.. sometimes it can be hard to tell.

On a VeRY positive note however I DID have a man come up to me at the store today and tell me since I was pregnant he wanted to carry my things out to my car! Talk about making my life.. this is what I have been waiting for for the past 6 months. [& why I love Texas.. people are SO nice]

We are making progress here.

& Just because baby clothes are sooo cute.. and tiny.. I thought I would add in this picture of moccasins I found the other day for 2 dollars.

Blake asks me periodically, "Do you realize that you are having a baby human.. not a baby doll?!"

But..

It's pretty much the same thing though right?

Nobody rain on my parade today and remind me of diapers and no sleep..

Today we are going to focus on the cuteness of baby clothes and the fact that I am finally starting to be able to share my pregnancy with the world.

There are good things going on over here.

Now if someone wants to come take a trip down to Texas and help me start figuring out everything we are going to need, instructing me on what I need to know to be a mom, and making things for the nursery.. there would be REALLY good things going on... no. pressure..

I think that all of the work I have had to go through to get here, with how hard it has been for us to pay for everything, with me having to cry make decisions about the new program they replaced the one I orginially was in with, and with the uncertainty of if we will even be able to afford for me to go back next semester..

I have been SO indescribably grateful everytime I am walking to class.

My heart feels so full to be here..

I love the wonderful, smart, motivated people that are in all of my classes and the educated experienced teachers that are teaching the program.

I also love that I am finally able to learn in school what I have WANTED to do for a career..

The whole program is focused on how I can help others myself and others have a healthy view on life.

& Because I don't think I have even explained this to very many people yet, the program I am getting my Masters Degree in is..

Clinical Mental Health Counseling with an emphasis in Marriage and Family

Also.. I want to point out.. that I am definitely not at BYU-Idaho anymore..

:)If you have ever gone/experienced it there you would probably know why this picture kind of made me laugh. This was my first day of school.. and at the school I got my undgraduate degree in they have a pretty strict dress/honor standard which meant that not even the girls were allowed to wear shorts, so I just took this picture so I could give Blake a smile and say..

"Todo.. we are not in Kasas anymore..."

[Just in case we hadn't already figured that out by the mere 30 degree increase in weather temperature]

And this is the face of one HAPPY graduate student that just survived finshed her first day of class!

It's definitely going to be different getting back into the swing of school and studying.. but I just feel elated to be here. I have dreamed of getting my Masters Degree in Counseling for as long as I have ever seriously pictured what I could want to do for work when I was "grown up".

I think this degree can be such a tool to bless others lives around me.. as well as my own family's.

I do have to say though.. that I feel like being a Mom is the most important calling I have been given in life and one that not only do I not want anyone else to do but that I feel like no one else can do the same as I can with my own children.

SO if there is anything I can do about it I don't have any intentions to work until it doesn't take away or affect my first priority of my family. And I am praying that I can get through this program with just my once a week (per class) night classes, so we will have to see [& pray and work my tail off] how everything works out.

Also.. this new stage of life that Blake and I have entered in we have realized is going to be a poor one. Which even though I have definitely been stressed I have realized that we have SO many blessings and so many more things to be grateful for than to worry over..

And I think that focusing on the things that you want and don't have will never lead to a happy or satisfying life.

So for the next 4 years (or more) while things are very tight and we have to eat a lot of pasta and scrimp and save.. I am going to be grateful for my sweet husband, my baby girl my Heavenly Father has blessed me with, the good family and friends in my life, our opportunity for education, and all of the wonderful things we DO have.

"May I assure you that there is no shame in a couple having to scrimp and save. It is generally during these challenging times that you will grow closer together as you learn to sacrifice and to make difficult decisions.... be assured that almost anything can be worked out if you are resourceful and if you are committed to making your marriage work."

-President Thomas S. Monson

This quote is a lot about marriage.. but I think that there isn't shame in anyone having to save while they are working for a better life. This has been something that has been comforting to me entering this new chapter..

Good luck to everyone else who is starting back at school, starting a new job, or starting a new phase in their life.. sometimes it can be scary but you have to be out of your comfort zone to grow.

Well hello..

& Welcome! I’m Hailey, a new mom in a new city- married to my very best friend and mom to my very favorite sweetest baby girl in all the land- and this is my way of remembering and sharing my sweet family’s life adventures.